2025 Land Rover Defender

Scored on the P400 3.0L mild-hybrid inline-six, the engine on the volume 110 SE/X-Dynamic SE trims. The 2025 model year is a carry-over for the P400 within the 2020-on L663 generation; the headline change is the new Octa flagship.

550 Nm (406 lb-ft) available from 2,000 to 5,000 rpm, with the 48V electric supercharger filling in below the turbo, gives the P400 a strong, flat torque plateau for a heavy off-roader.

Land Rover's 5.8-second claim for the 110 P400 is quick for a ~5,000 lb boxy off-roader, though Car and Driver's instrumented runs on P400 110s have landed between 6.2 and 6.5 seconds. Manufacturer figure used per research order.

The Ingenium inline-six is smooth and, thanks to the 48V electric supercharger and mild-hybrid assist, responds with essentially no low-rpm lag; stop-start transitions are well damped. It sounds a little strained near redline hauling this much weight, and the P300 four is notably coarser.

Every 2025 Defender uses the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, which shifts smoothly and picks gears decisively both on road and under tow, with a well-judged low range off-road. Paddle responses are relaxed rather than crisp.

8,201 lbs exceeds the top of the SUV band and is class-leading among luxury off-road SUVs, ahead of the G-Class's 7,000 lbs.

Permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and Terrain Response 2 is standard on every 2025 Defender; an active locking rear differential is available. There is no 2WD version.

Up to 11.5 in of air-suspension ground clearance, 35.4 in wading depth and 38°/28°/40° approach/breakover/departure angles, plus ClearSight Ground View and All-Terrain Progress Control. The new 2025 Octa adds 6D Dynamics hydraulic suspension and a 39.4 in wading depth as a dedicated hard-core flagship.

Four distinct US engines for 2025 — P300 2.0T, P400 3.0L I6 mild hybrid, P525 supercharged V8 and the Octa's twin-turbo V8 — is wide for the segment. Electrification stops at 48V mild hybrid: the P400e plug-in is not certified for the US (no Defender PHEV appears in fueleconomy.gov's 2025 listings), so it misses the 80+ band.

EPA combined rating for the volume 110 P400 mild hybrid. A heavy, boxy full-time-4WD SUV, it sits near the floor of the gas SUV band.

The 48V mild-hybrid system helps stop-start smoothness but recovers little energy, leaving city economy just above the band floor.

The upright, unaerodynamic body caps highway economy at 20 MPG, the bottom of the gas SUV highway band.

EPA does not publish a range figure for gas vehicles, so range is the EPA combined rating times the 110's 23.8-gallon tank; the large tank offsets poor economy to give mid-band range.

At EPA's current premium price assumption the volume P400 costs $4,350 a year to fuel, above the top of the gas SUV band.

Every 2025 US Defender engine is rated on premium gasoline, and no plug-in or diesel variant is sold in the US to offset it — squarely the premium-required band.

NHTSA has not crash-tested the 2025 Defender (L663 generation, carry-over from the 2020 launch), so the value is an estimate. It rests on the five-star Euro NCAP result and the bonded-aluminium monocoque, which is built more like a car-based crossover than the body-on-frame off-roaders it competes with.

The 2025 Defender has no IIHS crashworthiness results and no Top Safety Pick award, so it can't reach the award band. It scores above a fully untested vehicle because Euro NCAP did crash-test the L663 and gave it five stars with strong occupant-protection scores.

For 2025 the core suite is broad: AEB with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, the 3D surround camera and front/rear parking sensors are standard. Several sources say adaptive cruise and Blind Spot Assist became standard for 2025. One dealer trim table still lists both as options on the S trim, so this stays just under the top band until the trim-level packaging is confirmed.

IIHS has not run front crash prevention tests on the Defender, so there is no Superior or Advanced rating to cite. Euro NCAP rated the L663's AEB and vulnerable-road-user protection as competent, which keeps it in the adequate band. Nothing confirms good night-time pedestrian performance.

Blind Spot Assist does more than warn: it steers the car back if you start a lane change into traffic, and for 2025 it is listed as standard across the lineup. Rear Traffic Monitor (rear cross-traffic alert) is included too. Clear Exit Monitor and full trailer-aware coverage are less clearly standard on the volume trims, which keeps this below 80.

Lane Keep Assist is standard, but true lane centering needs the Steering Assist function that comes with adaptive cruise. Reviewers have found JLR's lane-keep steering corrections abrupt and its warnings naggy, compared with Mercedes and Toyota tuning.

For 2025, adaptive cruise is reported as standard. It is a full-speed-range stop-and-go system that reviewers call competent on the highway, and Steering Assist adds hands-on lane centering. Reviewers don't single it out as refined, and they describe the steering-assist tuning as conservative, so it sits in the capable band.

No 2025 Defender trim offers hands-free highway driving. Steering Assist is hands-on only: it checks that the driver's hands are on the wheel, so there is no rival to BlueCruise, Super Cruise or Drive Pilot.

LED headlights with auto high beam are standard, and Matrix and Pixel LED units come on higher specs, which is good hardware for the segment. IIHS has not published a headlight rating for any L663 model year, so there is no verified Good result to justify the top band.

The upright body, near-vertical windshield, low beltline and deep side glass give commanding forward and side sightlines. The tailgate-mounted spare and thick D-pillars block the rear view, but the standard 3D Surround Camera, the ClearSight Ground View camera that shows the ground under the hood, and the available ClearSight digital rear-view mirror make up for it.

The 110's tall, square rear door opening, flat floor and wide second row make it easier to fit and buckle car seats than in most off-road rivals. The lower anchors sit behind seat trim and take some digging, and IIHS has published no LATCH rating. The two-door 90 is much harder for car seats, but it isn't the volume body.

The volume Defender 110 S/X-Dynamic SE comes as a five-seater. A front jump seat (6) and a 5+2 third row (7) are options, and eight seats belong to the longer 130. 2025 is a carry-over year for the body within the 2020-on L663 generation.

The upright, boxy roof gives generous front headroom, near the top of the SUV band.

JLR's published front legroom is below the US-market norm on its measurement convention, so the 39.1 in figure sits under the SUV band floor even though the wide cabin feels spacious. The same convention scores the G-Class at 0.

The flat roof and near-vertical rear glass keep second-row headroom that a tapering luxury-crossover roof gives away. It tops the SUV band.

The 119-inch wheelbase gives adult-friendly second-row legroom, well clear of body-on-frame rivals like the 4Runner and Land Cruiser (~32–33 in). The short-wheelbase 90 is much tighter.

The 110 offers an optional 5+2 third row, so it is not a strict two-row. But that row is token seating: 10.7 cu ft of cargo behind it, knees-up, awkward access. Buyers who need a usable third row are pointed to the 130.

Space behind the second row is modest for the vehicle's footprint. The side-hinged door, the externally mounted spare and the upright packaging all cost volume.

With the second row folded the hold is tall, square and easy to pack, though it trails longer-roofed rivals like the 4Runner (89.5) and GX (~91).

Storage is a signature strength: a full-width dash shelf around the exposed cross-beam, a deep console, an optional jump seat that converts to a console, rubberized wash-out flooring and loadspace side boxes.

The front seats are praised for their upright command position and long-haul support, with heated/ventilated memory seats available. The second-row bench is roomy but flat. Roughly level with the G-Class, ahead of the GX.

The unibody D7x platform with electronic air suspension (standard on six-cylinder trims) makes this the most compliant ride among serious off-roaders. Large wheels and all-terrain tires add some sharpness over broken edges.

The unibody and smooth inline-six keep it far quieter than a Wrangler or Bronco. But the slab-sided body makes noticeable wind noise and all-terrain tires add roar at highway speed.

Heated front seats and a heated wheel are standard from the S. Three-zone climate, ventilated and massaging fronts, heated rear seats, cabin air purification and app preconditioning are available as you go up the trims.

The cheapest 2025 Defender is the short-wheelbase 90 S with the 296-hp P300 four-cylinder, and with destination it lands near the top of the $25,000–$65,000 SUV band. The 110 and 130 start about $4,000 and $13,000 higher.

US volume is concentrated in the five-door 110, and the X-Dynamic SE is the popular mid-range grade. It lists at $73,725 delivered, and typical option packs push it to around $76,000, which is above the $68,000 top of the SUV band.

Edmunds projects about $7,500 in maintenance and $4,500 in repairs over five years for a 2025 Defender 110 P400, which is above the $9,500 top of the SUV band. A mid-grade P400 shares the same running gear, so its projection is set only slightly lower.

The Defender holds its value far better than other Land Rovers (a Range Rover keeps about 30%), but the supply-crunch premium of 2020–22 has gone. Sources put 5-year retention at about half of MSRP, which is the middle of the SUV band.

Land Rover's New Vehicle Limited Warranty runs 4 years or 50,000 miles, the luxury-segment norm.

Land Rover offers no powertrain warranty longer than the basic coverage, so the engine and driveline are covered for only 4 years or 50,000 miles. That is below the band's 5-year floor, and it matters given the Defender's repair-cost projections.

A 2025 Defender comes with no complimentary scheduled maintenance; Land Rover sells service plans separately. Owners get roadside assistance for the warranty term and Pivi Pro connected-service and data trials. That puts it below rivals that include several years of service.

$76,000 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (50% retained, or about $38,000) leaves about $38,000 in depreciation. Add the projected $11,500 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $49,500 in total.

The two main sources disagree. J.D. Power's model-level Quality & Reliability score is solidly average-to-good, but Consumer Reports, which bases its prediction on owner surveys, rates the 2025 Defender 2 out of 5. Owner complaints centre on Pivi Pro and electrical faults, air suspension and 12V battery drain. 2025 is a carry-over year for the P400 in the sixth season of the L663 generation (the new Octa is the main addition), so nothing changes that picture. The score leans toward CR because it speaks more directly to long-term dependability.

Land Rover has finished at or near the bottom of both major US dependability rankings for years in a row. That is a long-running pattern, not one bad result, and it is the weakest brand record in the luxury off-road segment.

MY2025 itself has a light record: two campaigns, one of which covers a dealer-fitted accessory rather than the vehicle. But the L663 generation as a whole has collected 18 NHTSA campaigns, several on safety systems, and the 2025 driver-airbag clockspring recall is fleetwide. Owners also report heavy TSB activity for software and suspension problems. The result is below the segment's typical recall activity, though the 2025 year is cleaner than 2020–2023.

The record is mixed. The volume P400 uses the 3.0L Ingenium inline-six mild hybrid with an electric supercharger. It has no major red flags so far but also no high-mileage record, and the 48V system adds parts that can fail. It is paired with the ZF 8HP, one of the industry's most proven automatics. The entry P300 2.0L Ingenium four has a known history of timing-chain wear and oil consumption, while the 5.0L supercharged V8 (P525) and the BMW-sourced 4.4L V8 (Octa) are established engines.

The exposed-structure cabin is one of the most distinctive at any price. It has a visible magnesium cross-car beam, powder-coated surfaces and durable Kvadrat wool or Robustec textiles that feel purposeful rather than cheap. Its deliberately hard, washable surfaces keep it just short of the richest cabins at this money.

The body built at JLR's Nitra plant is structurally solid, and panel alignment is generally good. However, owners report scattered interior rattles, trim squeaks and wind noise from the boxy shape across the generation, and JLR's initial quality has been only middling.

With roughly 190 US Land Rover retailers, coverage is thin outside major metros, which is a real drawback for a vehicle marketed on remote-country capability. Long shop waits, driven by the brand's own failure rates and parts-supply problems, drag down service satisfaction.

Land Rover is regularly ranked among the most expensive brands in America to maintain. Mechanical and electronic parts come mostly from dealers at premium prices, and JLR's parts backlogs have kept vehicles off the road for weeks. The large off-road accessory aftermarket does not lower repair costs.

For 2025 the 11.4-inch curved-glass Pivi Pro touchscreen became standard on every trim (the base 10-inch unit was dropped). No larger screen is offered for 2025; the 13.1-inch panel arrived with the MY2026 update.

Pivi Pro boots fast with a shallow tile layout, and the Defender keeps physical rotary climate and volume controls. JLR software still draws owner complaints about occasional lag, freezes and Bluetooth dropouts.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard on every 2025 trim through Pivi Pro, with no subscription.

Connected navigation with live traffic and built-in Amazon Alexa are standard. The native voice layer is command-driven, and connected services run on a trial that eventually needs renewing.

Meridian audio is standard for 2025, and the Meridian Surround system with subwoofer is a well-regarded upgrade. The hard, boxy cabin limits it against a Burmester-equipped G-Class.

A 12.3-inch configurable Interactive Driver Display can mirror terrain, wading and driveline data, which makes it useful off-road. It is standard or near-standard across the range.

JLR's Software Over The Air updates dozens of vehicle modules, not just maps and the head unit. It stops short of the 90s because feature-adding releases are infrequent.

The Land Rover Remote app covers lock/unlock, remote start and preconditioning, locate and status. Its reliability reputation is mediocre, remote functions sit behind a subscription after the trial, and there is no phone-as-key.

USB-C ports run through every row, wireless charging is widely available, and a household-style loadspace socket is offered, which suits the camping use the Defender is built for.

Keyless entry, push-button start and app remote start are standard, and the waterproof Activity Key is a useful option. The side-hinged rear door rules out a hands-free power liftgate, and there is no phone-as-key.

A 3D surround camera is standard on every 2025 model, with ClearSight Ground View (a see-through-bonnet view) and the ClearSight camera mirror available. This is the best camera suite among off-roaders.

A head-up display is available, mostly on upper trims and option packs rather than the volume S. It is a modest, non-AR unit, but still ahead of the G-Class, Wrangler and Land Cruiser, which offer none.

Tall, square doors and generous second-row headroom make car-seat installs easy, and air-suspension access height lowers the step-in. The side-hinged door with its external spare blocks curbside loading, and there are only two LATCH positions.

There is no NHTSA or IIHS rating for any L663 year, only the 2020 Euro NCAP five stars. On the plus side, adaptive cruise became standard for 2025, alongside AEB, lane keeping, blind-spot and a surround camera.

The air-sprung ride, supportive seats and multi-row USB-C make it a comfortable family tourer. It loses points for wind noise, only 34 cu ft behind an occupied second row, and a children-only third row.

The P400 mild-hybrid six with electric supercharger pulls cleanly from rest, the ZF 8-speed is excellent, and the upright glasshouse plus standard surround camera make it easy to place. Its width and mass keep it short of effortless.

It is very expensive to commute in: 19 MPG combined on premium, about $4,350 a year in fuel, and Land Rover's high maintenance and repair costs.

Excellent cameras and square corners help, but the body is wide (2,008 mm), the 42.1 ft turning circle is large, and the side-hinged tailgate needs clearance behind it to open.

An 8,201 lb tow rating, full-time 4WD with low range and a locking center differential make it genuinely capable under load. It has no open bed, so everything has to fit inside 78.8 cu ft or on the roof.

The monocoque is very stiff and the ZF gearbox is proven, but Land Rover ranks at or near the bottom of J.D. Power and Consumer Reports, the recall history is long, and there is no fleet track record.

The factory accessory catalog is among the industry's richest (expedition rack, roof ladder, gear carrier, compressor), and a domestic socket is available. There is no bed, no high-output onboard power and no upfit ecosystem.

Air suspension, comfortable seats, a refined six and roughly 450 miles of range make it a strong mile-eater, and adaptive cruise with steering assist is now standard. Wind and tire noise, and no hands-free highway system, hold it back.

This is the Defender's defining strength: 11.5 in of ground clearance, 900 mm of wading depth, low range, Terrain Response 2, an 8,201 lb tow rating and a factory expedition-accessory ecosystem.

The vertical-walled load bay, roof rails, side gear carrier, hitch and optional jump seat make it unusually flexible for bulky gear. The side-hinged tailgate is the main limit.

The aluminum monocoque, independent suspension and air springs make it far more composed than body-on-frame off-roaders. But 5,000+ lb of tall SUV on off-road-biased tires is never agile.

Accurate and consistently weighted, and easy to place, but feedback is heavily filtered.

The pedal is firm and progressive and the brakes resist fade under tow, but the weight shows in 70–0 mph stops of about 170–180 ft.

The P400 inline-six with 48V electric supercharger and ZF 8-speed gives immediate tip-in and smooth shifts. The stop/start restart is perceptible.

The inline-six is smooth and sounds good under load. Wind and tire noise are scored separately under cabin quietness.

The 110's 119-inch wheelbase gives a turning circle above the SUV band ceiling, a real liability in parking garages and on tight trails. The 90 is much better and the 130 worse.

The upright command seating, deep glasshouse and square corners make it easy to place, and the controls are close to hand. The step-in is tall and the spare blocks the rear view, though the ClearSight mirror helps.

Its character carries it: a quick inline-six (5.8 s claimed to 60), a distinctive shape, and off-road ability that makes detours the point. Enthusiasts actively recommend it.

For 2025 every Defender gets full-time 4WD with low range, an 11.4-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen with wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, Meridian audio, heated power front seats, a surround camera and automatic emergency braking. The S grade still has synthetic-leather upholstery and 19-inch wheels, and air suspension and several driver-assist and comfort features are still packed into higher grades or options.

Measured by capability per dollar, a ~$74k 110 X-Dynamic SE with the 395-hp P400, true low range and a tow rating above 8,000 lb is strong value for a luxury off-roader, at about half the price of a G-Class. The total ownership bill drags on that value: Edmunds projects about $12k of 5-year maintenance and repairs and a 4/50 powertrain warranty.

The 2025 Defender comes in three body lengths (90, 110, 130, seating two to eight, with second-row captain's chairs newly offered on the 130). Engines run from the P300 four through the P400 mild-hybrid six and the supercharged V8 to the new 626-hp OCTA, across S, X-Dynamic SE/HSE, X, V8 and OCTA grades. Prices run from about $58.5k to over $169k, with few gaps between steps.

In calendar 2025 the Defender became Land Rover's best-selling US model, with its fourth straight annual gain, and JLR's best seller worldwide (about 115,000 units in FY25). It is the volume leader among luxury off-roaders, although US deliveries in the first half of 2026 ran about 21% behind 2025.

The Defender name carries decades of expedition heritage, and the L663's design has made it a style object, which supports resale near 50% at five years, well above other Land Rovers. Land Rover's poor dependability reputation weighs on the brand, which keeps this item below the G-Class and Land Cruiser.

By 2025 the waitlist years were over. Land Rover ran subvented 3.9% APR financing, $2,500–$3,000 loyalty and conquest cash, and advertised leases on the 110 and 130, which is real buyer benefit without fire-sale pricing. The OCTA still sold on demand.

The L663 generation launched for 2020, so 2025 is its sixth model year. That makes it mid-cycle, but it is a real update year: the flagship OCTA arrived, the larger touchscreen and Meridian audio became standard, and the 130 gained captain's chairs. No replacement is imminent for a 2025 buyer.

The L663 won the 2021 World Car Design of the Year and MotorTrend's 2021 SUV of the Year. Reviewers treat it as the benchmark for combining off-road ability with on-road refinement. Ownership-focused reviews consistently raise reliability and running costs, which keeps it out of the top band.